Fat Tuesday is coming up. The holiday has given us solid empirical evidence that people will do almost anything for beads. And if a string of chintzy plastic balls is worth disrobing in public, an actual edible version should conceivably merit 10 thousand dollars. That is what the judges of Donut Showdown will decide tonight at 9pm ET when a singing rabbi, a lawyer and a recent college grad compete in a speedy Mardi Gras-themed doughnut extravaganza. The bead necklace doughnuts made with an orange liqueur glaze are like portable king cakes — with considerably less risk of swallowing a plastic infant. They’re also just one of several awesome creations to come out of the competition, with the top doughnut’s maker taking home ten grand.

It’s chocolate week on Cooking Channel. You may be saying, “I’m pretty sure every week is chocolate week, buddy.” You have a great point, but it’s a little silly to talk back to a blog.

Of course we’re prepping for Valentine’s Day which is less than a week away. And on that subject, here’s a tip: Don’t go out to dinner on Valentine’s Day. Restaurants use the holiday as an excuse to markup the cost of a scallop by about 300%. You’ll make a better impression by cooking the meal yourself (a juicy roasted chicken is a pretty solid bet). Then — and this is the kicker — to really win over this person you’ve right-swiped on Tinder or perhaps have been courting for years, you need to give her/him something chocolate. We know this because in a survey of people writing this right now, 100% agree that chocolate is the best way to show your devotion to another person. For your inspiration, Cooking Channel is dedicating each night this week to shows about chocolate.

The theme week begins Sunday, February 8th at 8pm ET with a new special hosted by Justin Warner, Breaking the Rules: Chocolate. Americans consume about three billion pounds of chocolate a year. Justin will check out some of the coolest things being done with chocolate, debunk some chocolate myths, and then completely reinventing the chocolate chip cookie. Check out our schedule to see what other chocolate insanity is lined up. And remember to watch Breaking the Rules: Chocolate on February 8th at 8pm ET. Don’t be choco-late. (Nailed it.)

]]>http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2015/02/08/chocolate-rules/feed/5All Men Must Dine: A Game of Thrones Pop-Up Restauranthttp://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2015/02/04/all-men-must-dine-a-game-of-thrones-pop-up-restaurant/
http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2015/02/04/all-men-must-dine-a-game-of-thrones-pop-up-restaurant/#commentsWed, 04 Feb 2015 22:00:50 +0000http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/?p=57886

Winter has come. And it feels like it could last a generation. There are at least two ways to feel better about it, apart from stumbling upon a stockpile of dragonglass. You can spend it chomping down comforting meals like classic casseroles, mac and cheese, steaming soups and stews, and nostalgic recipes like Mom used to make. (We can help with that.) Alternatively, you can try to win tickets to a Game of Thrones-themed pop up in London taking place between February 13 and 15. HBO is setting up the restaurant — styled to feel like a secret Small Council meeting in King’s Landing — to promote the show’s 4th season coming out on DVD and Blu-ray. We expect it lets you enjoy all the thrills of consuming poached veal tongue without the hazards of poisonous wine or a sword to the gut. The sweepstakes is running now, but you must be older than 18 and be a permanent UK resident (is that in Ulthos?)

Yo mama so fatigued from cooking you dinner all those nights, we think you should consider returning the favor. All joking aside, it would be the considerate thing to do. And since we have 40 easy recipes for nostalgic dishes like tuna noodle casserole, meatloaf, mac ‘n’ cheese and biscuits, you don’t have much of an excuse not to. If preparing comfort food for your mom isn’t possible, find someone else’s mom (Mo Rocca-style).

Winter storm Juno turned out to be a well-received bust for New Yorkers. Despite it, Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos (who lived through Los Angeles earthquakes and Hurricane Sandy) remain self-proclaimed catastrophists and want to always be prepared for the worst. On tonight’s Extra Virgin at 9pm ET, they are putting their family through a drill where they’ll build a family emergency kit and attempt to cook a meal without any power, electronics or any communication with the outer world. Living without showers, TV, the internet and cell phones is a challenge for the kids, but at least they have some pretty top-notch cooks to attempt a great Italian meal without a stove.

Beer and football go together like Clydesdales and puppies, but what is the right drink if you prefer stemware to steins?

Bryan Jones, executive chef of St. Francis Winery in Sonoma, spends a lot of time thinking about wine-and-food pairings. Jones runs the winery’s dining program, which means that he essentially is the opposite of a sommelier, cooking up just the right dish to pair with the estate’s classic California wines, like peppery Zinfandel (It’s meatloaf with a tomato-garlic-chile ketchup, if you were curious).

First up, the dips. “I think a Chardonnay is going to be a great pairing with your seven-layer dip or guacamole, as long as it’s not too spicy,” Jones surmised. “It’s a good wine to sip for a while, too.”

When it comes to richer, spicier mains, Jones recommends red, particularly in a potluck situation. “There’s a lot of spicy food in a classic football spread: chili, buffalo wings, pulled pork. Anything with smoke and layers of deep, rich smokiness and heat will be an equal pairing for pepperiness that’s inherent in Zin. You have spice from crushed red pepper, fennel that’s latent in a Zinfandel. It won’t overpower your dishes, or your dishes won’t overpower the wine.“

And what about if you go regional? Stay the course. Jones said Chardonnay will hold up equally well if you go for souper bowls of New England clam chowder, with a rich and creamy oakiness and latent acidity to match, but not overpower the cream-based soup. As for Pike Place Market cioppino, Zinfandel should work. “Jammy, slightly spiced old-vine Zinfandel that’s softer than a standard Zin would be a nice pairing with the spiced soup and seafood,” he said.

]]>http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2015/01/27/super-bowl-food-wine-pairings/feed/0The Bacon, Egg, Cheese, French Fry, Pastrami Sandwichhttp://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2015/01/27/pittsburgh-steel-workers-sandwich/
http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2015/01/27/pittsburgh-steel-workers-sandwich/#commentsTue, 27 Jan 2015 16:00:53 +0000http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/?p=57863
The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their opportunity to play this Sunday way back in the first round of the playoffs. We’re guessing they either weren’t consuming enough of these Steel City Sandwiches or too many. This behemoth has similarities to a typical bacon, egg and cheese (namely bacon, eggs and cheese), but takes it several yards further with stacks of five Italian meats, hand cut fries, homemade Italian slaw and tomato.

Putting the fries and the slaw directly on the sandwich is a tradition of steel workers in Pittsburgh. Now a food truck in Los Angeles is bringing this Pennsylvania tradition from Steel City to Tinseltown.

]]>http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2015/01/27/pittsburgh-steel-workers-sandwich/feed/0Deep-Fried Mac & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: Comfort Food on Comfort Food Actionhttp://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2015/01/26/mac-grilled-cheese-sandwiches/
http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2015/01/26/mac-grilled-cheese-sandwiches/#commentsMon, 26 Jan 2015 20:30:31 +0000http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/?p=57855
Matt “Fidel Gastro” Basile, chef and owner of Toronto’s Lisa Marie, is an authority on food experimentation and street food (closely related disciplines). He earned his de facto street food PhD by touring the United States and studying the ways food trucks, pop ups, food carts and food stands make incredible dishes without industrial or even conventional kitchens. (His journey, by the way, is chronicled in Rebel Without a Kitchen, our new show premiering Tuesday, January 27 at 10pm ET).

This webisode from the show is a pretty good example of his creativity at work. He brought Compete to Eat host Jo Lusted over to his kitchen to combine her two favorite comforts: mac & cheese and grilled cheese into one game-changing sandwich. Then he deep-fried it. This is what that looks like in action:

Watch the premiere of Rebel Without a Kitchen, Tuesday, January 27 at 10pm ET.